CocoaSoils Launched in Côte d'Ivoire

As part of its four in-country launches, the CocoaSoils program has been launched in Côte d’Ivoire. The program dubbed, « Intensification de la production durable de cacao par le développement et la diffusion de la gestion intégrée de la fertilité du sol » took place at the Headquarters of the Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA), in Abidjan on July 24, 2018.

The two-part program was patronized by over 40 scientists and key partners. Partners present included CNRA, Nestle, ICRAF, IDH, Mondelez, ICCO, IRAD, CEMOI, Timac-Agro and ANADER.

Participants at the CocoaSoils Program Launch, Côte d'Ivoire

Dr. Richard Asare, the Coordinator of the CocoaSoils Program, granting an interview.

The Program was chaired by Dr. Abdoudramane Sangre, the Director General of CNRA, who in a speech stated that

“I am especially excited about this project because it is not in one country but being undertaken across the West African region. Also we are bringing all the important stakeholders at the table”.

The program also featured a speech and a presentation by Dr. Richard Asare, the Coordinator of the CocoaSoils Program, who gave a general overview of the project and the agenda of the program.
The program ended with a technical session, where participants debated on varying scientific questions with regards to the project protocol design, the CocoaSoils partnership as well as its extension and dissemination tools.